KiKi Iriafen, JuJu Watkins, Haley Cavinder, and more list their basketball inspirations
College basketball players like KiKi Iriafen, JuJu Watkins, Haley Cavinder, and others recently shared their basketball inspirations in a clip posted by NCAA March Madness on Instagram.
Iriafen named Candace Parker, Napheesa Collier, and A'ja Wilson as her basketball role models. Meanwhile, Miami Hurricanes’ Haley Cavinder said she was heavily influenced by the Boston Celtics' Big Three — Rajon Rondo, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Ray Allen — during her childhood.
Watkins, USC’s rising star, credited Candace Parker and LeBron James for inspiring her game. Other players also revealed their influences: Tessa Miller admires Dennis Rodman, while Theryn Hallock looks up to Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant.
Taylor Thierry aims to model her play after Skylar Diggins-Smith and Maya Moore. Meanwhile, KiKi Rice looks to Damian Lillard as a key influence in her basketball journey.
On the other side, the USC Trojans welcomed Iriafen back to Los Angeles after her three seasons at Stanford.
The Galen Center will be eager to see USC’s Kiki Iriafen in action
Kiki Iriafen joined the USC Women of Troy for the 2024-25 season, as head coach Lindsay Gottlieb announced on April 30.
A standout power forward, Iriafen won the prestigious Katrina McClain Award and spent the last three seasons at Stanford, where she earned All-America Honorable Mention honors. Now, she’s heading back home to Los Angeles, where fans at the Galen Center will be eager to see her in action.
Iriafen was named the Pac-12’s Most Improved Player of the Year as a junior last season. She averaged an impressive 19 points and 11 rebounds per game, making her one of only two players in the nation to do so in 2023-24.
Even more remarkably, Iriafen was the only player to average over 20 points and 11 rebounds per game against ranked opponents. Her efforts helped lead Stanford to a Pac-12 regular-season title and a spot in the Sweet Sixteen of the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
As a sophomore, Iriafen started 27 games for Stanford, posting solid averages of 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game as the team made it to the NCAA Second Round in 2023. She also competed at the 2022 USA Basketball Women's 3x3 National Championship, where her team reached the semifinals.
Joining a USC team fresh off its first NCAA Elite Eight appearance since 1994, Iriafen will be part of a powerhouse squad that includes eight McDonald’s All-Americans. She will join returning stars like JuJu Watkins, Rayah Marshall, Clarice Akunwafo, and Aaliyah Gayles, along with three highly-touted freshmen: Kayleigh Heckel, Avery Howell, and Kennedy Smith.
While completing her degree in design engineering at Stanford, KiKi Iriafen plans to pursue a master’s degree at USC.
Also Read: IN PICS: USC's JuJu Watkins, Kiki Iriafen and more pose for the Trojans' photo day